I am among those American writers whose books have been destroyed in the now famous furnace of your school. Many supported him, including the Minot Education Association. That language, Severly purported is “out there in the real world.”. On November 16, 1973, an angry and disappointed Vonnegut wrote to McCarthy to make his feelings known. If you were to bother to read my books, to behave as educated persons would, you would learn that they are not sexy, and do not argue in favor of wildness of any kind. When asked why he chose Slaughterhouse-Five, Severly informed the newspaper that the book had good qualities such as “its immediacy, its modern style, its brevity.” He continued, “I believe the theme, or message of the book is a question: Why are we killing each other still? Overall: 4.9 “Kurt Vonnegut talks back to book ban,” Lakeland Ledger, June 27, 1982. And we all know, too, that those words really don’t damage children much. My books are probably more widely used in schools than those of any other living American fiction writer. Just discovered this 1973 letter from Vonnegut to the chairman of a school board that had taken to burning his books because they found them offensive.. Dear Mr. McCarthy: I am writing to you in your capacity as chairman of the Drake School Board. amzn_assoc_fallback_mode = {"type":"search","value":"History"}; It might pass in a college, but not in this school.”. . Case in point: Vonnegut’s intermediary, Donald Farber, apologizes for the fact “that Mr. Vonnegut is unable to respond to your letter at this time. Especially soldiers and hardworking men speak coarsely, and even our most sheltered children know that. This did not go over well with the sophomores. Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death is a science fiction infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut, first published in 1969.It follows the life and experiences of Billy Pilgrim, from his early years to his time as an American soldier and chaplain's assistant during World War II, to the post-war years, with Billy occasionally traveling through time. And we all know, too, that those words really don’t damage children much. I gather from what I read in the papers and hear on television that you imagine me, and some other writers, too, as being sort of ratlike people who enjoy making money from poisoning the minds of young people. If you are an American, you must allow all ideas to circulate freely in your community, not merely your own. It was evil deeds and lying that hurt us. This is extraordinarily insulting to me. They did not take into consideration the context and complexities of the novel and judged it solely on the use of certain language. Vonnegut, who passed away in 2007, was no stranger to writing letters to high schools. Of course, we all have moments when we’re alone and something suddenly clicks. Topics: Literature. They have all turned out well. And no copies of this letter have been sent to anybody else. On occasion, the victims of censorship take the opportunity to face their censors directly. “Karene Duchsherer, who didn’t want to stop for her picture to be taken, is seen entering the school bus that she drove in 1973. I am writing this letter to let you know how real I am. A protest letter made its way around the school and sophomore Pam Schnase said, “We think it’s respectable and interesting, and better than what we’ve been reading.” Rev. The letter reads as follows, … amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; Nathan Shaffer Joanna Pike English 101-B52 August 27, 2020 Analysis Of Kurt Vonnegut’s Letter My name is Nathan Shaffer, I am 16 years old and I was born in Allen Texas. The students’ lockers were search and their parents were told to hand over the books. Mar 30, 2012 - In October of 1973, Bruce Severy — a 26-year-old English teacher at Drake High School, North Dakota — decided to use Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, as a … We have declined to go on television, have written no fiery letters to editorial pages, have granted no lengthy interviews. Kurt Vonnegut’s Powerful 1973 Letter to the Man Burning his Books, Douglas Adams on our Reactions to Technology Over Time. November 16, 1973 Dear Mr. McCarthy: I am writing to you in your capacity as chairman of the Drake School Board. American author Kurt Vonnegut was no stranger to censorship – especially with his 1969 semi-autobiographical novel Slaughterhouse-Five. Vonnegut wrote to McCarthy and his letter can be enjoyed below. He told the Minot Daily News that he was advised by the school superintendent to resign or be fired. Photo Credit: Marty Reichenthal/AP/npr.org. Now, Kurt Vonnegut got wind of this, and he wrote a letter to one of the members of the school board, and the letter said, “Dear Mr. McCarthy, I’m writing to you in your capacity as chairman of the Drake School Board. Certain members of your community have suggested that my work is evil. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; Every year I receive at least a dozen invitations to be commencement speaker at colleges and high schools. (250-300 words) Get an essay WRITTEN FOR YOU, Plagiarism free, and by an EXPERT! My books are probably more widely used in schools than those of any other living American fiction writer. With this phrase Vonnegut is able to set a inactive turn on decease. Many of the students protested the decision; some even refused to hand their books back. Well, you have discovered that Drake is a part of American civilization, and your fellow Americans can’t stand it that you have behaved in such an uncivilized way. We are angered and sickened and saddened. On November 9, 1975, the Minot Daily News ran the headline: “Books at Drake Burned by School Board” and quoted the school board president Charles McCarthy as saying, “We didn’t approve of its obscene language. In November 1973, 26-year-old Bruce Severy assigned Slaughterhouse-Five to his sophomore English students at Drake High School in Drake, North Dakota. Every year I receive at least a dozen invitations to be commencement speaker at colleges and high schools. And no copies of this letter have been sent to anybody else. Still curious? I am writing this letter to let you know how real I am. Perhaps you will learn from this that books are sacred to free men for very good reasons, and that wars have been fought against nations which hate books and burn them. Severy noted that the students seemed to enjoy it and “C and D students were suddenly writing A papers.” However, one student in particular took issue with the book’s bad language. We are angered and sickened and saddened. But it is also true that if you exercise that right and fulfill that responsibility in an ignorant, harsh, un-American manner, then people are entitled to call you bad citizens and fools. amzn_assoc_enable_interest_ads = "true"; If you are an American, you must allow all ideas to circulate freely in your community, not merely your own. The news from Drake indicates to me that books and writers are very unreal to you people. 2021 Farnam Street Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Mar 20, 2014 - American author Kurt Vonnegut was no stranger to censorship – especially with his 1969 semi-autobiographical novel Slaughterhouse-Five. We are not clapping each other on the back, crowing about all the books we will sell because of the news. Certain members of your community have suggested that my work is evil. Here’s the letter. In October of 1973, Bruce Severy — a 26-year-old English teacher at Drake High School, North Dakota — decided to use Kurt Vonnegut‘s novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, as a teaching aid in his classroom. “So it goes. For questions/comments about the website or advertising inquiries, contact Zim at historybyzim@gmail.com, Benedict Cumberbatch reads a letter from Kurt Vonnegut – WikiSpeeks, “I am very real”: Kurt Vonnegut to Drake High School. J.S. Kurt Vonnegut Writes Home from World War II: “I’ll Be Damned If It Was Worth It” Kurt Vonnegut Urges Young People to Make Art and “Make Your Soul Grow” Kurt Vonnegut’s Tips for Teaching at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop (1967) Without even realizing it, we can nudge others towards success. . Learn more about the project here. Again: you have insulted me, and I am a good citizen, and I am very real. This is Vonnegut’s letter to Charles McCarthy (the school board president): I am writing to you in your capacity as chairman of the Drake School Board. In 1988, Kurt Vonnegut Writes a Letter to People Living in 2088, Giving 7 Pieces of Advice. Many of the letters display Vonnegut's distinctive verbal slapstick, but in a 1973 letter to Charles McCarthy, chairman of the Drake School Board in Drake, North Dakota, Vonnegut got serious. amzn_assoc_linkid = "b4d6f028c649a54f3f73e082557b5521"; Vonnegut emphasizes what seems to go a motive throughout the book. The letter was included in his 1981 Palm Sunday – a collection of his previously unpublished short stories, letters, essays, etc…. First-principles thinking is one of the best ways to reverse-engineer complicated problems and unleash creative possibility. Do you have the courage and ordinary decency to show this letter to the people, or will it, too, be consigned to the fires of your furnace? The news from Drake indicates to me that books and writers are very unreal to you people. I want you to know, too, that my publisher and I have done absolutely nothing to exploit the disgusting news from Drake. It deals with a moral question that we as humans have been trying to deal with for time immemorial. As the author of this blog, I (Jess Zimmerman) create posts based upon cited sources. We are not clapping each other on the back, crowing about all the books we will sell because of the news. Kurt Vonnegut's Letter to Charles McCarthy In October of 1973, Bruce Severy — a 26-year-old English teacher at Drake High School, North Dakota — decided to use Kurt Vonnegut's novel,Slaughterhouse-Five, as a teaching aid in his classroom. The letter was included in his 1981 Palm Sunday – a collection of his previously unpublished short stories, letters, essays, etc…. Tags: Kurt Vonnegut Years ago when I was a producer in television, I recall that there were many discussions on how broadcasters could encourage younger viewers to have brand loyalty with a particular channel. In a career spanning over 50 years, Vonnegut published fourteen novels, three short story collections, five plays, and five works of nonfiction, with … This battle was the first field army–level engagement in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War to take place on Union soil. In addition, the school board ordered about 60 copies of Deliverance by James Dickey and copies of “Short Story Masterpieces,” an anthology including pieces by Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck, into the fiery inferno along with Vonnegut’s novel. Share the History Love…FacebookPinterestTwitterTumblrRedditStumbleUponDiggLinkedin. This is a moral book. For three more decades, Vonnegut novels headed straight for the best-seller list: "Slaughterhouse-Five," "Breakfast of Champions," "Galapagos." If you use information from here please give History By Zim the proper credit. The book begs the reader to come up with a workable answer.”  Severly alleged that many of the school board members did not actually read the book before deciding its fate. [From the lovely website Letters of Note comes the memory of this, a letter sent on November 16, 1973 to the Chairman of the Drake, North Dakota, School Board by the late author Kurt Vonnegut. It is true that some of the characters speak coarsely. November 16, 1973. Do you have the courage and ordinary decency to show this letter to the people, or will it, too, be consigned to the fires of your furnace? Vonnegut writes how McCarthy’s decision is … ” This phrase encompasses every decease in the novel. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "auto"; A different view was held by Bruce Severy, a twenty-six-year-old English teacher at Drake High School, North Dakota, in 1973, who decided to use the novel as a teaching aid in his classroom, much to the delight of his students. I read in the newspaper that your community is mystified by the outcry from all over the country about what you have done. It was her daughter Kim who complained about the language in “Slaughterhouse-Five” that started a controversy over the book in the fall of 1973 at Drake High School.” Photo Credit: Minot Daily News, The Drake Public School Board members voted and ordered the books to be taken from the students (they were only a third of the way through it) and burned in the school’s coal burner. Not only did he craft geometric equations for the shapes of stories, but he also applied letter … amzn_assoc_default_category = "All"; President Lincoln is shown with General George B. McClellan and other officers of Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Antietam in September 1862. Vonnegut, himself, was outraged over the events at the school and wrote a letter to Drake’s school board. Well, you have discovered that Drake is a part of American civilization, and your fellow Americans can’t stand it that you have behaved in such an uncivilized way. the three merely words. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "historybyzim8-20"; You now hold the only copy in your hands. Severly left Drake High School (he later receive a settlement for $5,000). Vonnegut's letter to the chairman of the school board in Drake, North Dakota, which follows, as well as Kurt Vonnegut's exchange with Felix Kuznetsov, a Soviet Writers Union official, over the persecution of writers in the USSR, come from Kurt Vonnegut's latest book, Pabn Sunday (Jonathan Cape, 1981), and are reprinted here with permission. Here is the letter Kurt Vonnegut wrote to their school board (lettersofnote.com) 284 More: Hero , Drake High School , Kurt Vonnegut , Lists of American writers , Purple Heart That is because people speak coarsely in real life. A lawsuit was even threatened by the American Civil Liberties Union against the school board. I am so much trusted with young people and by young people that I have served on the faculties of the University of Iowa, Harvard, and the City College of New York. //